INTERPOL Arrests Two In Nigeria Over Cybercrime

The International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) has announced the arrest of two suspects in Nigeria over separate cybercrime cases, including a phishing and business email compromise operation that gathered about 2.1 million email addresses.

The arrests were disclosed on Thursday in a statement published on INTERPOL’s website on Operation Serengeti III, a multinational crackdown on cybercrime carried out across 21 countries from June 29 to August 31, 2026.

According to the organisation, one of the Nigerian investigations led to the arrest of a suspect accused of running a large-scale phishing and business email compromise operation that collected software credentials and approximately 2.1 million email addresses.

INTERPOL said investigators also recovered a luxury vehicle believed to have been bought with proceeds from criminal activities.

It added that a separate investigation into an international investment fraud scheme advertised through messaging applications resulted in the arrest of another suspect.

The organisation stated, “Financial investigations revealed the movement of more than USD 2.4 million in suspected criminal proceeds, much of which was laundered through cryptocurrency transactions.”

INTERPOL did not reveal the identities of the suspects or indicate when they would be arraigned.

The Nigerian cases were part of Operation Serengeti III, which led to 1,462 arrests across the participating countries, the dismantling of 10,909 malicious networks and the recovery of more than $105 million in illicit funds.

The operation also identified 65,929 victims targeted by cybercriminal networks, while financial investigations connected the uncovered criminal activities to losses exceeding $385 million, according to INTERPOL.

The multinational operation focused on cyber-enabled fraud, ransomware, business email compromise, online scams and digital extortion.

INTERPOL’s Director of Cybercrime, Neal Jetton, said the operation underscored the need for countries to work together to combat cybercrime.

“Cybercrime networks operate without regard for borders, exploiting technology to target victims on an unprecedented scale.

“Operation Serengeti III reinforces a clear message: while cybercrime is increasingly borderless, international cooperation remains one of the most effective tools for disrupting criminal networks, recovering criminal assets and protecting communities from digital harm,” Jetton said.